Clustering of Ophthalmology Services: A Case Study of the Free Eye Camps of Albasar International Foundation in Sudan, 1993 – 2017
[1]
Mozamel Elnair Somi Kakitla, Economics and Rural Development Department, Dalanj University, Dalanj, Sudan.
[2]
Adam Turshin Feirrin Khalafalla, English Department, Faculty of Education, Dalanj University, Dalanj, Sudan.
This paper tackles the ophthalmology services delivered through Free Eye Camps by Albasar International Foundation (AIF) around the world. It was founded in the Sudan in 1993. It posses a number of Eye hospitals in the Sudan, and gives ophthalmology services through Free Eye Camps in different States of the Sudan. The main hospital in the Sudan is Mekka Complex in the capital of the Sudan – Khartoum – Riyadh. Some of the ophthalmology services that supplied to the patients are outpatients department (OPD), surgeries (Inter Ocular lens (IOL) and other surgeries) and glasses.This paper aims to assess the ophthalmology services in sixteen States of the Sudan; namely: Khartoum State, South Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, Gadarif, Kassala, West Darfur, Blue Nile, North Darfur, Red Sea, White Nile, River Nile, West Kordfan, Shamalia, Sinnar and Gezira State. It intents also, to group the States into clusters according to their similarity and dissimilarity in ophthalmology services, and each cluster should be as similar as possible while the different clusters ought to be as different as possible. The clustering purposes is to relief in developing intact and convenient ophthalmology health and plans. The Cluster analysis through hierarchical method is used as a statistical method for grouping the ophthalmology services which consist of outpatients department (OPD), surgeries (Inter Ocular lens (IOL) and other surgeries) and glasses into clusters through the entire Sudan States. Actual data during 1993 to 2017 from Albasar International foundation were analyzed using SPSS through solution from 2 to 5. The sixteen States of the Sudan were examined. There were four groups produced according to the SPSS solution from 2 to 5. The best States in ophthalmology services through Sudan include North Kordofan, Gezira and River Nile, and the rest 13 States enjoy lower ophthalmology services. The findings of the paper show four clusters: The first cluster includes two groups of States, and about thirteen States are in need of intervention and plans except North Kordofan, Gezira and River Nile. The second cluster contains three groups, the worst in ophthalmology services are the thirteen mentioned earlier. The third cluster involves four groups, five of which need intervention, and they are: Khartoum, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan and Shamalia. The poorest States in ophthalmology services in the four cluster are the last five mentioned.
Cluster Analysis, Clustering, Hierarchical Method, Ophthalmic Services, States, Free Eye Camps, Sudan
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